French FM in Iraq to boost aid efforts as US airstrikes continue

BAGHDAD (AP) — France’s foreign minister is in Iraq, where he’s calling on leaders in Baghdad to unite against the Sunni militants.

Laurent Fabius (loh-RAHN’ FAH’-bee-yus) says his visit is aimed at boosting humanitarian efforts in northern Iraq, where tens of thousands of minority Yazidis have fled into the mountains and even into neighboring Syria to escape the extremist Islamic State group.

The Islamic State’s advance on Irbil (ur-BEEL’) in recent days has prompted the U.S. to launch airstrikes for the first time since troops withdrew at the end of 2011.

The U.S. military says a third round of strikes took out Islamic State armored carriers and trucks being used in an attack on civilians. U.S. Central Command says the militants were firing indiscriminately on members of the Yazidi minority taking shelter in the mountains outside the town of Sinjar.

U.S. and Iraqi aircraft have also dropped aid for the thousands of Yazidis trapped on a mountaintop.

006-c-16-(Shirley Smith, AP correspondent)-“can be formed”-AP correspondent Shirley Smith reports the U.S. Central command said in a statement that’s dropped an additional 3,800 gallons or water and more than 16,000 meals to Iraqi refugees stranded on Mount Sinjar. (10 Aug 2014)

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007-c-17-(Shirley Smith, AP correspondent)-“completely unacceptable situation”-AP correspondent Shirley Smith reports the U.S. isn’t the only country trying to help victims in Iraq. (10 Aug 2014)

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